While visiting Ohio State University in Columbus on Monday, the president of Somalia said terrorist group Al Shabaab is not only a threat among African countries but is a danger to the entire world, ABC News reported.
After hearing reports of Americans and other foreigners possibly being involved in the Nairobi terrorist attack, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the international effort demonstrates a worldwide threat from the Al Qaeda-affiliated group.
During his scheduled speech, Mohamud said he has spoken with the president of Kenya and plans on visiting the country soon.
He also said the Somali government is committed to taking down Al Shabaab and is prioritizing security in the nation after experiencing decades of civil war and terror threats.
Many people from the Somalian community were expected to attend Mohamud's speech in Columbus, which has the second largest Somali population in the U.S. next to Minneapolis-St. Paul. He was welcomed to the U.S. by Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, just a day before the attack in Kenya.
Following the deadly attack that killed 62 people and injured over 100, Mohamud expressed his condolences to Somalia's neighboring country.
"We in Somalia know only too well the human costs of violence like this," he said. "Our prayers today are with our brothers and sisters in Kenya. We also send a strong message of solidarity with the Kenyan government, our valued partners in the campaign to bring peace to Somalia.
These heartless acts against defenceless civilians, including innocent children, are beyond the pale and cannot be tolerated. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Kenya in its time of grief for these lives lost and the many injured."
